Abstract

'Ladettes' are argued to be a sign, and product, of contemporary development and change; their fortunes are presented as inextricably related to the conditions of late modernity. Using the past to shed light on the present, this paper considers whether fears and claims about the behaviour of some contemporary young women in Britain are exclusive to the present. Two data sets inform the discussion: first, representations of ladettes in national and local newspapers from 1995 to 2005; second, materials relating to the 'modern girl' published in the popular print media between 1918 and 1928. Although there have been important changes in the conditions of girlhood since the 1920s, this historical comparison highlights continuities in the representation of 'troublesome' youthful femininities. We explore similarities and differences in the characteristics attributed to the modern girls of the twenties and the ladettes of recent years, and the dominant discourses that underpin popular constructions of troublesome young women.

Item Type:

Journal Article

Journal or Publication Title:

The Sociological Review

Additional Information:

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Jackson, C. and Tinkler, P. (2007), ‘Ladettes’ and ‘Modern Girls’: ‘troublesome’ young femininities. The Sociological Review, 55: 251–272. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-954X.2007.00704.x which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-954X.2007.00704.x/abstract This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.